August 31, 2007

And what I love about it is, it makes me feel completely free to take photographs of strangers.

Who are these people who are taking over the place and behaving like celebrities? They're obtruding on my environment, so I get to obtrude on them.

I've decided to use the word "obtrude" more, because I'm reading a book that keeps using the word. I don't really know why we Americans always say "intrude" instead of "obtrude," but I note that although both words contain the word "rude," "obtrude" sounds more rude. Something about "ob."

12 comments:

"intrude implies the forcing of oneself or something upon another without invitation, permission, or welcome [to intrude upon another's privacy]; obtrude connotes even more strongly the distractive nature or the undesirability of the invasion."

"Intrude" suggests a measure of apology, "oh, sorry I'm intruding, but I really need to get a couple little packets of sugar. There. Carry on."

"Obtrude" on the other hand suggests being bold and unapologetic. "I shall stand here and take up space, knowing full well I'm bothering you, but since you're bothering me too, we shall both feel this moment as an irritation."

Intrude suggests one having priority over the other. Obtrude suggests two equal, relative, forces interacting. You step into their world, their world has impeded yours.

Obtrude is egg-zakly the same thing as intrude, 'cept differn't. Obtrude is worse than intrude. Obtrude is thrusting or protruding, brashly self-assertive. Intrude is interrupting. Both are uninvited. That is to say, both are New York. Miami, on the other hand is also extremely photographed but far less obtrusive.

There's also STRUDE, a stock of breeding mares, and UNRUDE, oddly 1) not rude or polished and 2) excessively rude.